ELLEN PARRY ELLIS. MIDDLE GRANVILLE, WASHINGTON, NEW YORK.

"What would you like to know?" said Ellen Parry Ellis, better known as "Nain" Ellis, offering the interviewer a chair. Grandma Ellis is beloved by everyone who knows her and her friends are many. Always pleasant, with a smile that is contagious, she makes one feel the warmth of her kindness, when one is in her presence and an evening seldom passes when one will not find some friends or neighbors coming in to see how "Nain" Ellis is.

Understanding what the interviewer wanted and without being questioned Mrs. Ellis said: "I have been in this country sixty-three years and it will br 59 years next August since I came to Granville."

Mrs. Ellis is better known as Ellen Parry Ellis and she was born in Cwmyglo, North Wales, February 20th, 1846. She married Ivor Richard Parry when she was twenty years of age and came to this country about five months after her husband arrived in the United States. Mrs. Ellis came to Fair Haven in 1868 and after living there for two years moved to Jamesville and stayed there a year, after which she came to Granville and has resided in this village ever since.

Two children were born to Mrs. Ellis, Robert Parry of Oregon, who is better known as "Bob" Parry, the tailor, and who conducted a tailor shop in Granville for many years before going west. The other is a daughter, Mrs. Robert E. Williams of Utica.

When Mrs. Ellis first came to Granville she lived in a house near the north-west corner of Church and River Street in a four family house, later moving near the Brownell quarries where she kept boarders, slate workers, and at one time Mrs. Ellis had twenty-two boarders on her roster. Later Mrs. Ellis moved to Factory Street, about where the Minogue residence stands and from there to the present address on Morrison Avenue in which Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Rowlands reside with her. Mrs. Rowlands is a grandaughter of Mrs. Ellis. Mrs. Ellis has lived in this house for thirty-eight years. Thirty-six years ago Mr. Parry was killed in the act of blasting at one of the Warren quarries.

"What can you tell me of the early religious activities of the Welsh people of Granville?" Mrs. Ellis was asked "There were no Welsh churches in Granville," Mrs. Ellis "We met in private homes where we held religious services. Afterwards we brought the present Polish Church on Morrison Avenue, which then was owned by the Baptist denomination. Dr. Hugh Davies would come to Granville once a week to preach to the Welsh people. He preached for twelve years without compensation and we held a festival once which netted us $100.25 and my husband delivered this amount to Dr. Davies. "What will we do with the twenty five cents?" asked Mrs. Parry. "Don't say nothing," replied Mrs. Parry, only one hundred and twenty five, and people will think we raised one hundred and twenty five dollars."

Rev. Edward Roberts was the first Welsh pastor in the first church. He is living in Wisconsin now. The first church built by the Welsh people in Granville is the little church which is now in the rear of the Congregational Church and is a part of it.

The Polish Church then was the original Welsh Presbyterian which later moved to its new quarters on Quaker Street. In the early days of the Welsh Church in Granville there were only nine members in the Methodist Calvanistic Church and fifteen members in the Congregational Church. Rev. Thomas Owens was the first pastor in the Congregational Church. Mrs. Ellis is a member of the Presbyterian Church.

Of the prominent Welshmen of the early days in Granville, Mrs. Ellis mentioned Hugh W. Hughes, Robert J. Williams, John W. Edwards and Owen W. Owens.

Here Mrs. Ellis opened a most interesting chapter in Granville's history which is doubtful if the present generation ever heard of "One of the leading Welshmen in Granville was Hugh W. Hughes, father of General Will Hughes," said Mrs. Ellis. "He was one of the leading politicians of his day. He was a good man and especially kind to the poor. He belonged to the Welsh Presbyterian Church and used to go after the minister in Middle Granville, bring him here and take him back each Sunday. He used to come and eat with me and once inquired if the food he ate was such as I give to the boys all the time. He said he did not see how I could make anything from serving such good meals to the boys. He was a brother of the mother of Jarrett Jones," continued Mrs. Ellis, "and one of the first slate quarry operators in this section. He employed most of the men at that time. He could neither reas nor write yet he made thousands of dollars. My husband workes for him for fourteen cents an hour and Mr. Hughes sold slate at $1.90 per square. He was called the King of the Slate Industry." Here Mrs. Ellis asked "Tom Rowlands to bring out the photo of Mr. Hughes. He was a tall stately man, dignified and aristocratic in appearance.

Mrs. Ellis had saved a copy of the Welsh newspaper "Y Drych," dated, March 20th, 1890, which gave an account of the death of Mr. Hughes and was reported by Mr. Parry. It is probably one of the most interesting chapters in the history of the Granville Welshmen and of the slate industry.

Mr. Hughes was born in Llanllyfni, Wales, 1837 (home of the late village Trustee, Richard Thomas.) He was one of nine children and arrived in the United States when he was twenty years of age. He was a fine looking young man when he came, tall and light haired. All his possessions when he landed in this country was about five dollars and with this amount in his pocket he proceeded to Dodgeville, Wisconsin, and secured employment in the lead mines. He worked for about ten months for a very small wage and in 1859 came to Scotch Hill, Fair Haven, Vermont. After a short stay in Fair Haven, Mr. Hughes went to Georgia and when the Civil War broke out he found himself in difficulties and unable to get out of the south. He finally managed to work through the southern lines by enlisting with the Confedarate army, getting away from the army by following a railroad track. A train came along and picked him up. Returning to Fair Haven penni;ess he secured work there and also in Hampton. In 1865 he opened up a slate quarry in Fair Haven and sold his lease to a Mr Babcock for aprofit of $400. He then came to Granville and stayed with C. B. Lynch, at the same time leasing a quarry in Hampton at which time he was a familiar figure in Granville with his sulky travelling back and forth between Granville and Hampton.

Mr. Hughes later leased the Whiting property east of the village, opened a quarry which turned out to be the best sea green slate quarry in the slate belt. He bought this land eventually and amassed a fortune. He employed a secretary who carried on his office business for him. He later made more money by opening quarries and selling them, both in Granville and West Pawlet. Two years before his death he bought from Judge Betts the residence which stood on the side of the Pember Library, for the amount of $7000, and furnished it out completely with most expensive furnishings, making it one of the finest residences in this section of the state. The year before he died he disposed of 43,000 square of slate of his own manufacture, 14,000 swuares of slate which he bought as well as 2,200 square of red slate.

He was properly named the "King of the Slate Industry" at that time. He played a leading part in local politics and ran for the office of county treasurer. He was also a member of the country community for some years. In 1887 he was elected president of the Granville National Bank and served as such until his death. He was also a director of the Salem National Bank. Mr. Hughes recommended, and was instrumental in appointing Hugh Thomas postmaster of Granville through his political connection with Senator Quackenbush. Mr. Hughes was born in 1837 and died at the age of 53 in 1890. He left his children a fortune of about $125,000 and life insurance to the amount of $15,000.

Regarding the changes in the village Mrs. Ellis has observed since the early days she said: "I guess I have seen some changes in the village. There were only four houses on Morrison Avenue and there was not a house west of Quaker Street. The first house build west of Quaker Street is the residence of Rees G. Williams. It was built by Mrs. Williams' parents.

Among the first to open quarries in this vicinity were also Joseph Williams, William J. Evans and Evan Jones on the site where the present Sheldon and Owens quarries are, east of the village, off Potter Avenue, John Warren had a quarry at Warren's switch.

"We had no social activities in those days. We all worked hard, but we found time to have a cup of tea with out friends and neighbors." said Mrs. Ellis.

After this interview one cannot help but appreciate the splendid contribution of the Welsh people to the growth and prosperity of the village of Granville.

Granville Sentinel ~ May 29th, 1931.